Veterinary medicines in Togo: legislation and distribution channels for antibiotics used in poultry

Abstract

The poultry farming sector contributes enormously to the satisfaction of the needs of the Togolese population in meat products. One of  the inputs to the development of this poultry industry is the use of antibiotics to combat sanitary constraints in the farms. Legislation on  Veterinary Drugs (VD) and quality assurance of these products is therefore an essential factor for the poultry sector. In Togo, little surveys  have yet evaluated the distribution circuit of VD, the quality and quantities of antibiotics used in the poultry sector. The objective  of this study was to describe the official VD distribution system and to evaluate the quality and quantity of antibiotics distributed through  this system by means of marketing authorizations (MAs) and the turnovers of VD wholesalers. The study approach consisted of direct  interviews with officials from the Livestock Directorate to describe the official VD circuit and the legislative texts governing this  distribution. On the other hand, surveys were conducted among professional wholesalers of VD in Togo to evaluate the turnover of  antibiotics consumed and the availability or not of MAs for antibiotics. Excel software was used to collect and analyze the data. This study  took place from September 2nd to September 22nd, 2022. The study revealed that the VD in Togo is governed mainly by decrees and  orders. There are two parallel markets. The players involved in this official circuit are wholesale distributors, retailers, and representatives  of pharmaceutical companies. All the VD distributed by these players in the official circuit comes from imports. There are  eight VD wholesalers in Togo. The most imported drugs are antibiotics. The illicit market constitutes a significant non negligible  competitive market. The share of drugs from Asia is significant because it is cheaper. The monetary value for the purchase of VDs in Togo  was estimated at 7,080,704,605 FCFA from 2018 to 2021. It was observed also that the most used antibiotics are in solid form,  especially in poultry. The solid antibiotic mostly used in farms (16780520 Kilograms (kg)) as well as in poultry (9229286 kg) is penicillin G  while in the liquid form, oxytetracycline is the widely used with 1216.05 liters (l) for poultry farming out of 2211 liters for all animal farms.  A significant proportion of VDs comes from the official circuit but does not have a marketing authorization. This is mainly due to the lack  of strict enforcement of the regulations. It is therefore important to review the quality of the regulations on the distribution of VD, which  will benefit the consumer of poultry products in Togo.